When Paul Reed signed his bidirectional contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, he knew that, sooner or later, he would have to leave Philly to join the NBA G League affiliate team, the Delaware Blue Coats, to develop his game on one level. different .
Then, a few months ago, Reed and the rest of the Blue Coats gathered in Florida to participate in the NBA G League bubble on ESPN Wide World of Sports. No one knew exactly what to expect from Reed, but he quickly established himself as a genuine highlight by dominating the competition.
Reed was not only instrumental in the overall success of the Blue Coats in the regular season, but he is also one of the few contenders in the NBA G League MVP race. In 15 games, Reed averaged 22 points, 11 rebounds and 1.8 blocks, while throwing 58% of the field and knocking down 44% of his three.
Reed’s progress in the G League helped him improve his confidence while helping to lead his team in their first playoff in the history of Blue Coats. “Let’s say my confidence was in a five before,” said Reed on Friday. “Now, it’s a ten.”
At that point, the G League bubble experiment was over for Reed and the Coats. Now, he is back in Philadelphia with his fellow Sixers. Before going south a few months ago, Reed was nothing more than a question mark for the Sixers’ organization, as his playing time in the main squad was limited.
Now that he has an entire G League race at stake, Reed remembers the experience and sees it as extremely beneficial to his game. “The experience was great,” explained Reed. “We were there for like, almost two months. Being there, not being able to go out, nobody being able to visit – sort of limited the distractions and allowed me to focus on getting better every day.”
Reed entered the bubble, not with the mentality of wanting to dominate areas where he is already good. Instead, he wanted to be sure to improve his game in certain areas, such as long-range shooting and getting stronger below.
“I kind of used that time in the bubble and tried to use it to my advantage,” continued Reed. “[I was] making sure every day that I’m working on myself. Doing many push-ups, many sit-ups, many burpees. You know, it was a great experience. I met some new teammates, some new friends and also acquired a different style of coaching. It was a good experience.”
Reed’s race in the G League may not put him on the court for the Sixers this year, as he still has a long way to go before breaking that rotation. But based on what he exhibited in Florida this winter, Reed can only win a contract with the NBA, taking him out of the two-way deal. If that happens as speculated, the G League bubble will certainly prove to be beneficial for Reed, who has already shown glimpses of a bright future with the Sixers.